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PubMed2002

Health, healing, and the myth of the hero journey.

The purposes of this article are to examine the epistemic nature of myth and its relationship to nursing ontology, practice, and knowledge development, and to interpret the myth of the hero journey as it relates to the meaning of health and healing within the unitary-transformative paradigm. A discussion of the qualities of myth as a path toward understanding is followed by an analysis of the relationship of myth to nursing's ontology within the unitary-transformative paradigm. Joseph Campbell's depiction of the myth of the hero journey is elaborated and related to literature on health and healing. Reflections on possible implications for nursing practice and knowledge development are shared. The mythic hero journey calls for a particular way of being a nurse. Nurse as guide, sojourner, and midwife are offered as metaphors for this way of being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Deletion of the fyn-kinase gene alters behavioral sensitivity to ethanol.

BACKGROUND: An earlier study showed that deletion of the fyn-kinase gene enhanced sensitivity to ethanol's sedative hypnotic effects and suggested that this was associated with diminished fyn-kinase phosphorylation of NMDA receptors. The authors of that study speculated that this resulted in an inability of the null mutants to develop acute tolerance to ethanol, leading to the longer ethanol-induced sleep times. However, in vivo acute tolerance to ethanol was not examined directly. METHODS: To address the role of fyn-kinase in mediating acute tolerance, as well as sensitivity to several other behavioral effects of ethanol, we studied an independently generated population of fyn null mutant and wild-type mice. RESULTS: Homozygous mutants exhibited longer ethanol sleep times that could not be attributed to differences in initial sensitivity, and impaired acute tolerance to the motor incoordinating effects of ethanol as measured by using the stationary dowel, but not the rotarod. Fyn-kinase null mutants were more sensitive to the anxiolytic effects of ethanol when tested using the elevated plus maze, and males displayed a lower preference for ethanol in a two-bottle choice paradigm. Finally, mutant and wild-type mice did not differ in sensitivity to the hypothermic effects of ethanol. The genotypes also did not differ in blood-ethanol clearance, eliminating a metabolic explanation for these behavioral differences. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that fyn-kinase modulates acute tolerance to ethanol and suggest a role for fyn in mediating ethanol's anxiolytic and reinforcing properties.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Are serotonin transporter knockout mice 'depressed'?: hypoactivity but no anhedonia.

Although the serotonin transporter is a key target for antidepressants, its exact role in depression etiology remains unclear. While serotonin transporter knockout mice are a potential model to examine this problem, their depression profile is unclear in several 'despair' tests, and may be confounded by their hypoactivity phenotype (confirmed here by marble-burying and bedding tests). To assess depression in these mice, we evaluated wild-type, heterozygous, and serotonin transporter knockout C57BL/6 male mice on a well-validated, anhedonia-based depression paradigm, the sucrose preference test. Overall, all three genotypes showed similar sucrose preference, indicating an unaltered hedonic state. These results demonstrate that depression-like behavior (unlike hypoactivity) is not a baseline phenotypic feature of serotonin transporter knockout mice, suggesting anew that these mice do not represent a genetic model of depression.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Seizures in the developing brain cause adverse long-term effects on spatial learning and anxiety.

PURPOSE: Seizures in the developing brain cause less macroscopic structural damage than do seizures in adulthood, but accumulating evidence shows that seizures early in life can be associated with persistent behavioral and cognitive impairments. We previously showed that long-term spatial memory in the eight-arm radial-arm maze was impaired in rats that experienced a single episode of kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus during early development (postnatal days (P) 1-14). Here we extend those findings by using a set of behavioral paradigms that are sensitive to additional aspects of learning and behavior. METHODS: On P1, P7, P14, or P24, rats underwent status epilepticus induced by intraperitoneal injections of age-specific doses of KA. In adulthood (P90-P100), the behavioral performance of these rats was compared with that of control rats that did not receive KA. A modified version of the radial-arm maze was used to assess short-term spatial memory; the Morris water maze was used to evaluate long-term spatial memory and retrieval; and the elevated plus maze was used to determine anxiety. RESULTS: Compared with controls, rats with KA seizures at each tested age had impaired short-term spatial memory in the radial-arm maze (longer latency to criterion and more reference errors), deficient long-term spatial learning and retrieval in the water maze (longer escape latencies and memory for platform location), and a greater degree of anxiety in the elevated plus maze (greater time spent in open arms). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide additional support for the concept that seizures early in life may be followed by life-long impairment of certain cognitive and behavioral functions. These results may have clinical implications, favoring early and aggressive control of seizures during development.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Open-field thigmotaxis during various phases of the reproductive cycle.

Three experiments were conducted on female Swiss albino mice in order to determine whether open-field (OF) ambulation and thigmotaxis (wall-seeking) alter both as functions of reproductive phases such as estrus, mating, gestation, partus, lactation, weaning, as well as of presence, absence and OF location of a newborn pup. The results revealed increased thigmotaxis as an effect of estrus (p < 0.001). From mating to one month postpartum a growing tendency towards maternal occupation of centre OF partitions was observed. Maternal ambulation reached its peak two days before partus but dropped to its lowest level during the lactation period at which time the mice were the least wall-seeking. Ambulation was enhanced (p < 0.001) in the presence of a pup regardless of OF starting point and the pup's placement. However, when the mouse dam was initially placed together with the pup by the OF wall, she hardly penetrated centre units at all.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1987

Neurogenetic adaptive mechanisms in alcoholism.

Clinical, genetic, and neuropsychopharmacological studies of developmental factors in alcoholism are providing a better understanding of the neurobiological bases of personality and learning. Studies of the adopted-away children of alcoholics show that the predisposition to initiate alcohol-seeking behavior is genetically different from susceptibility to loss of control after drinking begins. Alcohol-seeking behavior is a special case of exploratory appetitive behavior and involves different neurogenetic processes than do susceptibility to behavioral tolerance and dependence on the antianxiety or sedative effects of alcohol. Three dimensions of personality have been described that may reflect individual differences in brain systems modulating the activation, maintenance, and inhibition of behavioral responses to the effects of alcohol and other environmental stimuli. These personality traits distinguish alcoholics with different patterns of behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuropharmacological responses to alcohol.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immune and endocrine aspects of social and territorial behavior in male rabbits.

Although there have been some studies of the relation between behavior and mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and immunoglobulin synthesis, few data are available about the effect of behavior on specific lymphokine production. In this study, we describe the effect of social and territorial behaviors on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by concanavalin A-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in pairs of socially naive male rabbits living in a seminatural open-air environment. We also assayed PBMC glucocorticoid receptors (GcRs) and plasma corticosterone (C). Three groups of behaviors were identified: agonistic (Mount and Follow), affiliative (Groom) and territorial (Mark and Dig). Mount was correlated with Follow, while Mark was correlated with Dig. Groom was correlated with all the other behaviors. Groom, Mark, Mount and Follow were all positively correlated with PBMC GcRs. Groom and PBMC GcRs were each negatively correlated with plasma C. The two rabbits in each pair could be distinguished in terms of territorial behavior, since one animal always had a higher score. The animals with the higher level of territorial behavior within the pairs exhibited a significant increase in IFN-gamma production at the end of the experimental period. They also showed a positive correlation between the percentage variations of IFN-gamma production and PBMC GcRs. It is suggested that social factors, especially territorial behavior, affect adrenocortical activity and IFN-gamma production.

Agonistic Behavior↗
PubMed1988

l-fenfluramine in tests of dominance and anxiety in the rat.

l-Fenfluramine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) significantly reduced the success of dominant rats competing with untreated middle rank rats for chocolate. In resident rats, l-fenfluramine (2.5 mg/kg) significantly increased the number of submissions, and the time spent submitting, to untreated rats intruding into their home-cage territory; it also significantly reduced the number of kicks directed at, and the time spent kicking, the intruder; and the incidence of, and time spent in, aggressively grooming the intruder. When the intruder rats were treated with l-fenfluramine the only significantly change was a decrease in the number of wrestling bouts and the time spent wrestling. Since l-fenfluramine did not change other behaviours in this test (e.g. sniffing the opponent) the decrease in dominance behaviours was probably not secondary to nonspecific sedation. In the social interaction test of anxiety, l-fenfluramine (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly reduced the time spent in active social interaction, and decreased motor activity. Analyses of covariance indicated that these were two independent effects. In the elevated plus-maze, l-fenfluramine (1.25-5 mg/kg) significantly decreased the percent number of entries made onto open arms, and (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly decreased the percent of times spent on the open arms. The total number of arm entries was reduced by all doses (0.625-5 mg/kg). Analysis of covariance indicated that the decrease in percent of time spent on the open arms was secondary to the drop in overall activity. Thus there was no evidence of anxiolytic action in either of these tests, the changes indicating, if anything, anxiogenic effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aggression↗
PubMed1976

Diazepam treatment of socially isolated monkeys.

Four rhesus monkeys were reared for the first eight months of life in total social isolation. One animal died during this period; the three remaining subjects were treated with diazepam in an isolation chamber, in their home cages, and in a playroom testing situation. Diazepam significantly decreased the self-disturbance behaviors of two subjects, and there was even the appearance of some social behaviors, although they were limited and not of the same quality as in nonisolated subjects. The authors discuss the implications of the data for understanding the significance of the social isolation syndrome in monkeys as a model for human psychoses.

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

Risk taking and novelty seeking in adolescence: introduction to part I.

Risk taking and novelty seeking are hallmarks of typical adolescent behavior. Adolescents seek new experiences and higher levels of rewarding stimulation, and often engage in risky behaviors, without considering future outcomes or consequences. These behaviors can have adaptive benefits with regard to the development of independence and survival without parental protection, but also render the adolescent more vulnerable to harm. Indeed, the risk of injury or death is higher during the adolescent period than in childhood or adulthood, and the incidence of depression, anxiety, drug use and addiction, and eating disorders increases. Brain pathways that play a key role in emotional regulation and cognitive function undergo distinct maturational changes during this transition period. It is clear that adolescents think and act differently from adults, yet relatively little is known about the precise mechanisms underlying neural, behavioral, and cognitive events during this period. Increased investigation of these dynamic alterations, particularly in prefrontal and related corticolimbic circuitry, may aid this understanding. Moreover, the investigation of mammalian animal models of adolescence-such as those examining impulsivity, reward sensitivity, and decision making-may also provide new opportunities for addressing the problem of adolescent vulnerability.

Adolescent↗